Fine Woodworking Magazine



Just how To Comprehend the Principles of Timber Working.



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Understand the fundamentals.
 

A timber coating is a clear, clear coating put on wood to protect it from moisture and also to make it look richer and also deeper. This differs from paint, which is a wood coating loaded with enough pigment to hidethe wood. 
As well as it varies from a stain,which is a wood coating and a colorant (pigment or color) with a lot of thinner added so the excess discolor is simple to wipe off. The fine woodworking magazine remainder justcolors the timber; it does not hide the timber.
Sadly, the term "finish" additionally describes the whole built-up finish, which might contain stain, several coats of finish (a "coat" is one application layer) and also perhaps some coloring steps--for example, glazing or toning-- in between these coats. For one reason or another, we have only one word to refer to both the clear coating used, as well as to all the steps used.
Normally, the context explains to which is being referred.


Fine Woodworking Magazine: Function of a Finish

A surface serves 2 functions: protection as well as decoration.

Security implies resistance to dampness penetration. In all cases, the thicker the coating, the extra moisture-resistant it is. Three coats are much more protective than two, for example. Steamed linseed oil, one hundred percent tung oil and also wax will certainly dry out soft as well asgummy, nonetheless, so all the unwanted has to be rubbed out after each application to accomplish a useful surface area. As a result, nosignificant thickness can be attained.Protection is limited with these finishes.

Coatings embellish by making wood lookricher and also much deeper. The effect is less remarkable on clean lighter woods such as maple as well as birch, as well as greater on discolored and also darker timbers such as cherry and also walnut.

 

Kinds Of Wood Finish

Usual groups of wood finish consist of the following:

Oil ( steamed linseed oil, 100 percent tung oil and blends of these oils and also varnish).

Oil-based varnish (including alkyd, polyurethane, spar, cleaning and also gel varnish).

Water-based coating (a surface that thins as well ascleans up with water).

Shellac (an ancient surface stemmed fromresin secretions of the lac pest).

Lacquer (the coating used on nearly all mass-manufactured house furnishings made because the 1920s).

A multitude of two-part, high-performance surfaces used in industry and also by many expert closet stores.

Cleaning varnish is alkyd or polyurethane varnish thinned regardinghalf with mineral spirits so it's very easy to wipe on and wipe off. You can make your own, or there are a lot of brand names, which, sadly, are badly labeled. read more on wiping varnish below).
 

The key distinctions in the surfaces are asfollows:

■ Scrape, solvent and heat resistance. Oil-based varnishes as well as high-performance coatings offer the best scratch, solvent and also warm resistance. Water-based coatings are following. 

Shellac and also lacquer are prone to all 3 sorts of damages. Oil is as well thinto be effective.

■ Shade. Water-based fine woodworking magazine finishes add little color to the timber. All other coatings (except potentially CAB-Acrylic) include some level of yellow-to-orange coloring.

■ Drying out time. Shellac, lacquer and also high-performance surfaces dry out the fastest. Water-based finishes are next. Varnish as well as oil need over night drying out in a cozy space.

■ Solvent safety and security. Steamed linseed oil as well as 100 percent tung oil are the least toxicfinishes to take a breath throughout application because they don't have solvent. Water-based coatings (thinned with water as well as a little solvent) as well as shellac (thinned with denatured alcohol) are following. 

Oil-based varnish thins with mineral spirits (paint thinner), which some people locate unacceptable but which isn't especially hazardous. Lacquer andhigh-performance coatings thin with solvents that are one of the most dangerous to be around.
 

Fine Woodworking Magazine: Sealing Timber.

The first layer of any finish seals the wood-- that is, stops up the pores in the timber so the following layer of surface (or various other liquids) doesn't pass through easily. This very first layer increases the grain of the wood, making it really feel rough. You ought tosand this very first layer (with simply your returning the sandpaper) to make it feel smooth. You don't require a unique item for this first coat unless you haveone of two problems you want to overcome.

■ Alkyd varnish as well as lacquer can gum up sandpaper when sanded, so makers of each offer a unique product called " fining sand sealant" with completely dry lubricants contributed to make fining sand much easier as well as speed your job.

Sanding sealers weaken thefinish, however, so you must utilize them only when you're completing a huge task or doing manufacturing work.

■ Often, there are troubles in the wood that have to be enclosed with a special sealer so they do not telegram through all the coats. These issues are resinous knots in softwoods such as yearn, silicone oil from furnishings brightens that causes the coating to bunch up into ridges or hollow out into craters, and smoke and also animal-urine smells. The surface that obstructs these issues (" seals them in") is shellac, and also it needs to be made use offor the very first coat. Notice that, besides resinous knots, the troubles are connected with refinishing.

 

Sheen.

Oil-based varnishes, water-based coatings and lacquers are offered in a selection of shines,ranging from gloss to flat. All lusters apart from gloss are produced by the solid-particle "flatting agents" makers include in the coating. The even more flatting representative included, the flatter the luster. These flatting particles work out to the bottom of the container, so you have to stir them right into suspension before each use. Fine Woodworking Magazine

You can obtain any sheen you desire by pouring off several of the gloss from a container in which the flatting representative has actually worked out (don'tlet the store clerk drink the can) and blending the two components. 

Or you can mix cans of gloss and satin to obtain something in between. You will certainly require to apply the coating to see the shine you'llget. It's the last layer you apply that establishes the luster (there is no advancing effect), so you can try out each layer.

 

Complete Application.

Oil, wax, wiping varnish as well as gel varnish can be used with a towel or brush, then wiped off. The various otherfinishes are generally applied with a brush or spray gun.

Cleaning is straightforward-- essentially no different than cleaning paint. Splashing is alsosimple, but spray-gun care as well as tuning is much more difficult, as well as spray guns and also their sourcesof air (compressor or generator) are substantially more expensive than brushes.
 

Application Troubles.

Common issues as well as means to prevent them:.

■ Brush marks as well as orange peel. Remove these by thinning the finish 10 percent to 30 percent so it levels much better.

■ Runs as well as sags. See what is taking place in a reflected light and brush out the runs and also sags as they happen.

■ Dust nibs. Maintain your tools, the surface as well as the air in the room as tidy as possible.

■ Bubbles. Brush back over to pop the bubbles, or slim the surface 10 percent to 30 percent so the bubbles have more time to bulge.

Whatever the issue, you can alwaysfix it by sanding the surface level and also applying one more coat.


 

Fine Woodworking Magazine